Yang Mei

yangmei_szdaily@163.com

International School of Nanshan Shenzhen (ISNS) held an official opening ceremony for its new campus yesterday, two months after it was put into use.

Officials and leaders pose for a picture. (photos by Sun Yuchen)

The new 15,000-square-meter campus on Longyuan Road in Nanshan District houses a separate early-years building, a main school building and a residence building. Its opening was attended by leaders from both China and Canada, school leaders, faculty and parents.

The opening ceremony featured speeches delivered by officials and school leaders including Dr. Francis Pang, founder and chairman of ISNS, Rachael Bedlington, consul general of Canada in Guangzhou, and Fan Kun, deputy director general of Shenzhen education bureau; music performances; and videos made by teachers and students. The event was followed by a campus tour.

Students perform chorus at the opening ceremony.

According to the school, before the new campus was built, the school shared a campus with Shenzhen (Nanshan) Concord College of Sino Canada. The limited space of the old campus couldn’t satisfy the needs of ISNS as the school grew.

“As we are moving towards becoming an IB (International Baccalaureate) World School, we need to improve and upgrade the school’s facilities and environment so as to meet international standards,” said Patrick Boekhoud, middle/high school principal. “The new campus has everything we need for being an IB school, like the science labs, art and music centers, and sports facilities.”

Students taking classes in the new classroom.

Founded in Shenzhen in 2002, China’s high-tech and innovation hub, the school believes that education must change with the times, therefore it has spared no efforts to catch up with the technological trend by integrating technology into education. For example, all the classrooms have wireless connectivity and smart boards for teachers to interact with students more efficiently. “Teachers can connect their computers to the boards and write on that. They can explain problems to students and give instructions through that [the boards],” said Addie Loy, IB director of ISNS. According to her, the school is also creating a maker space for innovation and has the capability to introduce virtual reality.

Students on the playground of the new campus.

David Swanson, head of the school, said that what distinguishes ISNS from other international schools in Shenzhen is its connection with Canada, for it is the only international school that offers an English-based, Canadian curriculum from the province of New Brunswick. Besides, the advanced sports facilities and well-respected art programs also make the school stand out.

The new campus now has 591 students and offers classes from kindergarten (from 3 years old) to Grade 12. The school only accepts students who hold foreign passports. Currently over 30 nationalities are represented at ISNS.

Shenzhen government officials announced in May that five to six international schools will be constructed in Shenzhen for the children of expatriates in the city, adding to the seven existing international schools.

At present, there are more than 6,300 expatriate students and children studying in Shenzhen’s schools, and nearly 17,500 students and children from Hong Kong and Macao are studying in Shenzhen’s kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools.